


An Afternoon in the Office

by ziraulo



Category: Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018), Heneral Luna (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - UP Diliman, Gen, Law School Teachers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 02:38:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16254977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziraulo/pseuds/ziraulo
Summary: It’s a known fact that Apolinario Mabini was dating someone. But justwhothat person was, exactly, no one knew.





	An Afternoon in the Office

**Author's Note:**

> WHOOP FIRST FIC FOR BAYANISERYE
> 
> Hi guys, bagong-salta po ako dito, yung naunang manood ng Goyo bago mag-HenLu. I still have no idea _how_ I managed to miss all of HenLu's showings, pero hindi na yan mahalaga. Narito na ako ngayon upang maghasik ng lagim.

“Sugar Daddy pa rin ba ang tawag kung mas bata siya sa’yo?” It’s a good thing that Alejandrino put his steaming mug of coffee down right before Mabini spoke. He would have spilled his drink, if he heard that first. 

But Alejandrino wasn’t about to let his surprise show. “So inaamin mo na sugar daddy mo nga siya?” He shakes the newspaper open, and pretends to read it. Mabini sputtered out his denial.

It’s a known fact that Apolinario Mabini was dating someone. But just _who_ that person was, exactly, no one knew. All they knew was that it was a man who drove a black car, who dutifully drove Mabini to work every morning and fetched him at five o'clock in the afternoon. Girls swooned over Atty. Mabini’s mystery man, and boys tried to get their attention by trying to imitate him. 

Even the professors have gotten in on the action. How could they not, when Mabini kept getting gifts in the office? There used to be grand bouquets, replaced by single flowers Mabini placed on the vase on his desk when their courtship progressed and his paramour got a better handle on his taste. Sometimes there were boxes of chocolates, other times just packed lunch that Mabini offered to everyone in the office because there was simply too much for one man to eat. 

Yet all of those acts could have been done by any ordinary man. There was something else that tipped him off about Mabini’s lover. “Yung watch mo pa lang, halata na.” He said.

Mabini tugged at his polo sleeve defensively. “Birthday gift kasi ‘to.” He shot back. “Tsaka mura lang naman daw.”

 _Mura?_ Mura, my ass! He’s seen Evaristo’s eyes sparkle at a picture of it in Forbes magazine. It was hard to tell it was a luxury brand with the way Mabini wore his clothes and sat on his wheelchair, when you can only see the black leather strap peeking from under the cuff of his polo. But as someone who shared a corner of the faculty with him, Alejandrino could sometimes see the light catching on a serpentine head resting underneath the glass.

(He tried to buy that same watch before, but when he tracked down the only store that had it, the saleslady told him it was sold. To whom, she didn’t say.)

“Pole,” Alejandrino began slowly. “Yung watch mo na yan, limited edition. Last April pa binenta. Kailan ka nga ulit niligawan nung jowa mo?”

It was fun to watch the gears tick in Mabini’s head, when you weren’t the one on the receiving end of whatever comes out of his mouth after. Alejandrino thoroughly enjoyed watching him debate because of that, and watching Mabini right now, on the verge of discussing just how rich his boyfriend was, kept him on the edge of his seat. 

As far as he knew, Mabini’s boyfriend started courting him only last year, and he said yes to the man five months later. To have something like a limited edition Montblanc watch ready for next year’s birthday spoke volumes on the man's confidence. 

Mabini’s eyes flashed, and for a moment, there’s something akin to anger on his face. Alejandrino wouldn’t know; he’s _never_ seen Mabini angry. Not even his students have seen him angry. Strict, yes, disappointed, plenty of times, but truly angry? Not at all. 

But the moment has passed, and the man before him takes a deep inhale and a long exhale, one breathe indicative of a very tired man. He doesn’t rant or rave. Instead, he stares at the serpent on his watch, and shakes his head. “Ikaw talaga, Miong.” He said.

“...Yun lang?” Alejandrino braced himself for nothing. “Di ka sisgaw ng “He lied to me!” o kaya itatapon mo yung watch?” He gestured to the very open window right next to them.

“Ewan ko lang kung napansin mo, José, pero gusto ko naman yung watch.” Mabini replied dryly. “May isang taon na kami, tapos kilala ko na rin sya bago pa niya ako niligawan. Sa tingin mo di ko mage-gets na mayaman siya?”

That would have shut anyone else up, but they didn’t have Alejandrino’s curiosity. “So ibig mong sabihin hindi siya sindikato?”

Mabini stared at him like he spontaneously grew a second head. “...Jose, parang napapadalas na ata yung pakikichismis mo sa mga estudyante mo.” 

Alejandrino flushed. So his top theory about Mabini's Mystery Man got debunked; surely his outburst could be excused? “Sabihin mo na kasi, para di na kami mag-chismisan.”

Mabini rolled his eyes. “Mas lalo kaya kayong magchi-chismisan pag sinabi ko,” He muttered. 

He didn’t get to use whatever he planned to say in retort. There was a knock on the door, and the doorknob turned before either of them could even tell the other person to come in. 

The two of them tensed. Few people entered a professor’s faculty room without express permission to do so: problem students, freshmen who didn’t know any better, or worse, someone with ill intent. Mabini wasn’t in his wheelchair because of an accident, no matter how much anyone tried to claim it was so. 

There was no time for either of them to react, and Alejandrino curses himself for keeping his trusty lead pipe so far away. He can only hope he can outrun the person coming in while pushing Mabini, if worse came to worst. 

But the man who strode in wasn’t a student, or armed with a gun. He was formally dressed, and bore a confident smile and the stride of a man used to being in charge. A businessman, probably, Alejandrino thinks, with an unfortunate flat-top haircut.

He leans down to kiss Mabini’s cheek, and miracle of miracles, Mabini meets him halfway. They seemed content to nuzzle at each other and whisper “Kumusta ang araw mo?”, until Alejandrino clears his throat and reminds them they’re not alone. 

Flat Tops straightens up immediately, and if this were any earlier in the relationship, he would have probably blushed. Alejandrino knew that feeling all too well, spending plenty of time caught by his or Evaristo’s parents on the couch. But Flat Tops was an adult man who held what was probably an important position somewhere, and he simply adjusted his tie before offering a handshake. “Pasensya na, pare. Emilio Aguinaldo, boyfriend ni Pole.”

If he had no qualms about embarrassing himself in front of a senator, he would have shot Mabini an incredulous look before paying attention to Aguinaldo. Emilio Aguinaldo, he says, followed by “boyfriend ni Pole”. As if that was the title that took precedence over everything else in his life! That smile he just shot Mabini with practically said, “Please, feel free to ignore the fact that I am an openly gay senator trying to change the Family Code to accommodate LGBT parents and legalize Same-Sex Marriage, in favor of knowing me as the boyfriend of this brilliant, brilliant man!” 

It reminded him a little of a puppy, or Evaristo’s goddaughter when she wanted him to listen to her French. Adorable, but would probably leave a trail of destruction in its wake, if it ever comes out that door. 

And they would be, in a moment, if Mabini packing his things was any indication. Alejandrino recovers from his shock and manages to shake Aguinaldo’s hand and introduce himself. But no other conversation follows after that.

“Mauna na kami, José,” Mabini tells him, his briefcase packed up. “May hinahabol pa kasi kaming reservation.” Aguinaldo is right behind him, and he raises an eyebrow. Mabini hated having someone push his wheelchair without express permission. Today, Alejandrino found the one exception. 

Ah, but he knew that tone: an anniversary dinner was about to take place.“Sige, mag-iingat kayo,” He reminds them for a good measure, and it’s a gesture that makes Mabini smile as he returns it warmly. They make a good couple, he thinks, as they make their way out of the shared office. 

He follows them on their way out, as Aguinaldo helps Mabini into his black Ford Everest in the parking lot. The students would be disappointed to miss this, but the pair certainly deserved all the privacy they could get. 

Later, on his way home to his and Evaristo’s apartment, he thinks about whether or not he should have warned Aguinaldo about the watch. And then he paused: what exactly did an expensive watch, an anniversary dinner, and changing a marriage bill have in common?

A wedding proposal, he chuckled. Aguinaldo was good, all right. Perhaps he should follow the man’s good example, and make his own plans.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [@trickscd](https://twitter.com/trickscd) for making hatak me into a fandom again! Beh, napagaan mo working girl life ko AHAHAHAHA
> 
> For those curious, this is the [watch](http://watchesbysjx.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Montblanc-Tourbillon-Bi-Cylindrique-110-Years-Anniversary-Limited-Edition-1.jpg) I was referring to. 
> 
> Come yell at me on Twitter [@AngInangReyna](https://twitter.com/AngInangReyna) or Tumblr at ziraulo!


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